Siege of Ariminum (324 BC)

The Siege of Ariminum occurred in 324 BC when the Roman Republic laid siege to the Umbri city of Ariminum (Rimini) in northern Italy. A Roman legion under Gaius Julius assaulted the city and defeated the Gauls, but Gaius Julius was slain while leading his troops in the thick of the fight. In retribution, the savage Gauls were enslaved by the Romans.

Siege
In 326 BC, Gaius Julius' Roman legion conquered the city of Ravenna and enslaved nearly 2,000 Gauls, bringing an end to the Umbri's invasions of Etruria. He then set out to bring order to the Gauls of Ariminum, and his army of 509 Roman troops laid siege to the town of Arminium, defended by 374 Gauls under Vellocatus of Arausio. The Romans used a siege onager to bust down the wooden palisade gates of Ariminum, and the Roman legionnaires proceeded to storm the town through the breach. Gaius Julius characteristically charged the enemy with his men behind him, but he was slain in the thick of the fighting. His death was a blow to his men, but the Romans wound up storming the hill and slaughtering the Gallic barbarians and taking Ariminum. After the city's capture, its pagan artifacts and Gallic buildings were demolished and 2,492 Gauls enslaved.